Potato cleaning and sizing machine.



,466. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

D. WILSON.

POTATO CLEANING AND SIZING MACHINE.

APPLIOATIOII FILED JANA], 1904.

a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 851,466. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907.

- D. WILSON.

POI A'IO CLEANING AND SIZING MACHINE.

APPLICATIGN FILED JAH.8, 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No. 851,466. PATENTED APR. 23, 1907. D. WILSON. POTATO CLEANING ANDSIZING MACHINE;

APPLIOATION FILED JAN.8, 1904.

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DAVID WILSON, OF RIGOARTON,

LlNLITHGOW, SCOTLAND.

POTATC) CLEANING AND SIZING IVIACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 23, 1907.

Application filed January 8,1904. Serial No 188,197.

To all LU/b07771 it may concern..-

Be it known that 1, DAVID \Vrnsox, a subject of the King of the UnitedKingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident oi Riccarton,Linlithgow, Scotland, farmer, have invented new and useful Improvementsin Potato Cleaning and Sizing Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this .invention is to provide a machine for cleaning andsorting potatoes, etc., and consists in first removing particles of soiladhering to the potatoes, sorting the potatoes according to size andthen discharging the assorted potatoes into suitable receptacles.

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 an end View of the right hand sideof Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a cross section of the revolving separating screen.Fig. 4: a part plan of the riddle and traveling table or conveyor. Fig.5 shows a section of the table in detail.

I employ an elongated separating screen A hexagonal shaped as shown inFig. 3 and which is capable of being rotated on an axle B which isslightly inclined as seen in Fig. 1. Below the one or lower end of theinclined separating screen is an endless travelling table C, travellingat right angles to the rotating separating screen, as shown by thearrows Fig. 2 the travelling table being formed of parallel laths D Fig.5 of say galvanized iron and which are riveted to the driving chains 0The potatoes are fed into the upper end of the separating screen A bymeans of a hopper (not shown). As the separating screen is revolved theearth and small potatoes escape through the smaller meshes of that endof the separating screen and on to the inclined wired riddle A Fig. 1,below, by which they are further separated from the earth, the smallpotatoes thus cleaned rolling down the inclined riddle A into a basketbelow. The intermediate sized potatoes pass on along the separatingscreen until they arrive at about the centre of the length of theseparating screen, where the separating screen is of larger meshes,which allows the intermediate sized potatoes to fall through on to thetravelling table C.

The board G, Figs. 1 and 5 divides the length of the travelling tableinto two portions C C", so that the said intermediate sized potatoes indropping through the portion (0 ol the revolving separating screen fallon to the one hall portion oi the travelling table; see Fig. 4 which isa part plan oi the separating screen and of the travelling table. Thelarger potatoes pass out oi the open end of the separating screen on tothe other portion C oi the travelling table Fig. l. Thus there are twostreams of diil'erent sized potatoes being continuously discharged-i'rom the end of the travelling table, as hereinafter more particularlyreferred to. .Fig. 4c shows four oi? the laths D of the endlesstravelling table and which are rivettcd on to the endless driving chainsand also shows the division G of the table.

The frame a of the machine is preferably constructed of wooden spars;the whole apparatus being carried by the four wheels a two at each side,so that the machine is portable.

a is a board iixed across the side of the machine and which assists ingiving rigidity to the frame work of the machine.

The elongated hexagonal shaped separating screen is supported by thearms B Fig. 3, the said arms being mounted on the axle B, the axle beingcarried in bearings at each end of the machine.

The riddle A is rotated by means of the wheel I) which may be driven byhand or any other suitable power. Motion to the endless travelling tableC is e'il'ected by the sprocket wheels 0, 0 Figs. 1 and 2 which aremounted on the shaft 0'' which is rotated by the sprocket chain Fpassing over the sprocket wheels E, D.

One end of the travelling table C is ele vated as shown in Fig. 2 forthe purpose of discharging the two streams of potatoes into sacksthrough the depending chute por tion C.

The end of the table frame C is provided. with the hinged doors C sothat when the potato bags are filled, and being removed, the potatoesare prevented from dropping out of the end by closing the doors.

To 'lill baskets instead of sacks the ele vated portion of thetravelling table maybe dispensed with, the depending discharge orifice Cwith door C being titted to the end of the straight portion of the frameof the travelling table.

In order to carry the potatoes up the inclined portion C of thetravelling table, I

top of the said sprocket wheel by means of form every alternate lathwith a projection d, as shown in Fig. 5 which is an enlarged section ofFig. 4 on line 1, 2. l Claim The elevated end of the travelling table CI In a potato cleaning and sizing machine, Fig. 2 passes round the uppersprocket wheel I the combination of a supporting framework, C the bendof the travelling table being 1 a separating screen consisting of aseries of guided by sprocket wheel 0 the top of the graduated screensmounted on a shaft theretravelling table being held down on to the insaid shaft being directly connected to a driving wheel, a riddle mountedbeneath one portion of said separating screen, a divided sorting ofsand, gravel, etc., without departing from the spirit of my invention.

flanges e secured at each side of the frame work of the elevator, aportion of the ends of conveying table mounted beneath the other theraised portion (1 of each alternate lath D portion of said separatingscreen said table being cut away to allow the laths to pass the freceiving motion through the medium of a said projecting flanges e ofthe elevator chain and sprocket connection from a suitame. i abledriving wheel, an elevated chute having The frame C of the table 0 mayfor 0011- a discharge opening at its highest part, and vergence intransit be turned up on its hinges 1 doors adapted to close said chute.at 6 as shown in Fi 2 I do not limit riiyseh to the exact conl DAVIDWVILSON' struction shown and described herein for l cleaning and sortingpotatoes, etc., but the same may be varied to be adapted for theWitnesses:

GEORGE DAVIE, D. BURNS JAMIESON.

